Irish captain Robbie Keane ranked the 15th richest soccer player with $52.8 million

Robbie Keane, the Republic of Ireland’s captain and LA Galaxy player, has been ranked number 15 in the richest soccer players list on Goal.com.

The soccer player, originally from Tallaght, in Dublin, is said to be worth $52.8 million which makes him wealthier than Premier League heavyweights Ryan Giggs, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry. The Dubliner is paid $2.5 million a year by LA Galaxy.

Keane (32), who is now based in California with his wife Claudine (28) and their three-year-old son, Robert Jr, was beaten to the top spot by his former LA Galaxy playing mate David Beckham. The British superstar player, who recently signed for French club PSG, is now worth $260 million.

The top five players also include Lionel Messi, of Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, from Real Madrid, and Ronaldinho, now at Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro.

Irish player Damien Duff also made it into the top 40 list. The 34-year-old Dubliner who plays for Fulham, as well as the Republic of Ireland, is worth $27.6 million.

Managing Editor of Goal.com, Amar Singh, said many of these high earning players have their own private companies off the pitch.

“The world’s top footballers can no longer be regarded as just athletes — they are major international brands. And David Beckham is the biggest brand of them all,” Singh said.

“Our findings show just how much wealth footballers are able to accumulate by leveraging this.”